2023

GRAND PRIZE  |  ELEMENTARY   
Bella BARBA – El Ladrón – was in 4th at Barba Academy.
Teacher: Darlene Cole

Excerpt from the story
…… “I turned on the television just in time to catch the end of the 11 o’clock news. The newscasters were talking about a terrible earthquake in California. Next up was something shocking. The Jungle, a painting by the famous Cuban Artist Wifredo Lam, was stolen from the Louvre. This painting is celebrated in the art world like John Williams is renowned in the music world. I immediately jumped on my Vespa and drove straight to the Louvre. Every great detective knows that the first 48 hours of a crime are crucial. If you don’t solve it within 48 hours, there is a meager chance of ever solving it. If I can solve this crime, this could be my big break.

When I arrived at the Louvre, there were news reporters, police officers, and detectives, but no thief and no The Jungle. After I looked around for a bit, I remembered that most criminals would hang around after the crime to watch the investigation. As I watched the crowd forming outside, I noticed a man with a headset on the phone……. ”

GRAND PRIZE  |  MIDDLE SCHOOL
Maria ESPIN – Secrets Behind Closed Doors – was in 7th grade at Conchita Espinosa Academy.
Teacher: Jessica Munar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt from the story
She always wondered what could be so important in the attic that prohibited her from going in it. When she was younger she had fantasies that maybe it was a surprise, for her birthday or for Christmas. As she grew older her imagination diminished, and she was left with pessimistic thoughts that her mother might be hiding something. Though, what could be so awful as to remain hidden for sixteen years? Layla didn’t know, and she knew that she shouldn’t want to find out. If her mother didn’t want her to know then it was probably for the best, that is what parents are for after all. She tried to understand her mother’s point of view, but she had been a good kid for so long. She thrived for something more out of life, and maybe this could be the beginning of a new chapter. Her thoughts were rushing a hundred miles per hour in her head, but she finally came to a conclusion.

She would go into the attic. If her mother were to find out there would be consequences, but those consequences don’t seem like a good enough reason now. Her entire life she hadn’t stepped a foot out of line. She had followed the rules in every aspect, and she was finally fed up. The thought made her angry.

GRAND PRIZE  |  HIGH SCHOOL
Sophia ROMANOV IMBER – Investigative Journalism is Dead – was in 11th grade at Ransom Everglades School.
Teacher: Kira Morgan

Excerpt from the story
The new hire could already tell you the names of every single one of these convicts he’ll soon call co-workers. There’s no better way to get to know someone than from their criminal record.
Gordon Mourns has this southern drawl slick with whiskey and oil. Cigarette smoke leaves with every breath. He sits back in his chair examining the man in front of him.
Gordy has a pretty clean record considering his wallet.
The new hire could tell you the hold this man has on every badge of goddamn honor.
Corruption, the new hire calls it. But Jack never considered himself any higher morally. He’s a journalist after all.

“It’s a good day, Jack,” Gordy takes a drag of his cigarette.

“I thought this was a no-smoking office?”

“Of course it is.” Mister Mourns winks.

Jack straightens his jacket, careful not to fix his cuffs. If he seems too nervous it’ll be off-putting. But just enough? It’s a giveaway intimidation factor to give Gordon over here the illusion of control. And it’s a spectacular tactic for interviews to become conversations in confidence.

“So, I start today then?”

Gordon leans on his desk with his elbows. Drawing closer to the new hire. His mouth opens and out-pours decayed breath. Mr. Mourns squints his eyes, takes a sip from his mug, surely either empty or carrying the remains of days-old coffee, and squints some more.

FIRST PLACE  |  ELEMENTARY
Ethan REMEDIOS – A Hero’s Journey – was in 5th grade at Frances S. Tucker K-8 Center.
Teacher: Mercy Aguayo

Excerpt from the story
Growing up as an orphan, I’ve never felt happy. Even though our city’s owner, or as I’d like to say, ‘dictator,’ James Catskill, who most probably killed Brixton’s hero, Persephone, has sponsored this orphanage, I still hate it here.
My name is Alex Hoffman, and I am 13 years old. I have no parents or any family for that matter. I’ve always been different, well more than different. Recently, I’ve discovered that I can read other people’s minds. So far this has been useful, but now I know what people think of me as well. Now that I’m starting school, this power could come in handy. Just think about what I could do.

FIRST PLACE  |  MIDDLE SCHOOL
Evangelina CASTELLON – Brixton Town – was in 7th grade at Conchita Espinosa Academy.
Teacher: Jessica Munar

Excerpt from the story
As Sydney made her way upstairs there was a sign on her bedroom door which read, “Sydney’s Bedroom.” She opened the door which contained her bed, and many of the boxes that she and her mother had packed for the move. As she looked around her room she realized there were holes in the wall, as if somebody punched it. There were lot’s of different types of insects crawling in and out of the holes. She walked over towards her closet door and opened it. It was a decent size to fit the amount of clothes that Sydney had. Just as she was examining the closet, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a medium sized brown box, sitting towards the back of her closet. As she looked closer at this mysterious box there were multiple labels which read, “DO NOT TOUCH.”

Ivana TROIA – Cinghiale – was in 7th grade at St. Agnes Academy.
Teacher: Brittany Gonzalez

Excerpt from the story
The following morning, Cinghiale woke up in a stupor. Hazily remembering his performance last night, he stumbled onto the sidewalk. He had been sleeping in an alleyway, the only place where pigeons and people would not disturb him. He began walking clumsily down the sidewalk, still in a daze. As he came out of his daze, he glanced at a TV screen in a shop. There were moving images of what looked like himself! “What a surprise,” he thought. It was really his face! A woman presenter was speaking about his performance last night. “It has appeared that a wild boar was seen dancing in the Piazza Navona last night,” the woman on the screen said excitedly. The TV then changed to a video clip of him shaking his tail and moving his feet.

FIRST PLACE  |  HIGH SCHOOL
Jordan JAMES – City of Mirages – was in 10th grade at Ransom Everglades School.
Teacher: Corinne Rhyner

Excerpt from the story
Desperation set in and the human governments ceased their attempts to work with one another. It became every country for themselves. Humanity rapidly killed themselves in brutal slaughters over food and water. Governments toppled and chaos reigned. In a last ditch effort to save humanity, the staggering populations attempted to form small societies. In North America, Hermaria was the most well known.

Hermaria, nestled somewhere between what had once been Virginia and Maryland, was roughly 30 miles south of where D.C. once stood. Unprecedented rainfall decimated the capital. The heavy floods that ensued transforming it into a new Atlantis. The majority of its buildings were submerged 60 feet underwater. Numerous citizens attempted to flee the underwater city, and of them, only a quarter survived the journey south. After a tiresome four days, the homeless survivors reached a coastal city near the Potomac river. Though most regions of the city were shrouded in smoke and half ravaged buildings, the land would have to do.